Allyssa Mirry [Mirry - Pineapple and Poison

I dont know if I can do this, Lydia Doherty said quietly .

Of course you can, her best friend, Trina, teased. Just flick the light switch .

Lydia let out a small chuckle in response. She hadnt really been talking about turning on the new neon light sign that would shine in the window of her soon-to-open salt water taffy shop. She had been thinking about the venture in its entirety .

The truth was that she had always wanted to run a taffy shop by the shore. Salt water taffy had been her favorite candy since she was a kid building sandcastles by the ocean. Then, as she grew, she began to enjoy creating the candies from scratch. Owning this shop really would be a dream come true. However, now that it was close to actually happening, Lydia was becoming more nervous than excited .

Well have to exchange your sandals for snow boots if youre going to get cold feet, Trina joked .

No. I want this, and Im ready for this, Lydia said, letting the words convince herself as much as her friend. I have enough time to make sure everything is ready before the summer crowds arrive. I learned about the location and its trends from the previous owner. And, Ive already hired my employees who will come in and learn how to make terrific taffy .

You also have a great sign in place, but youre still hesitating to turn it on. Liddy, whats wrong ?

Trina tilted her head and stared at her friend. Her wavy hair cascaded down her back with the movement, making her look like a model in a shampoo ad. Trinas reddish hair always looked perfect, which was probably because she was a stylist at the local hair salon. It was a stark contrast to Lydias dark hair that was usually pulled back in a messy bun to keep it out of the way of sticky candy .

Lydia stopped focusing on hair and tried to focus on an answer to the question .

I really am thrilled that this is happening. Its something Ive always dreamed about. But, now She sighed softly. Well, Im afraid if I fail, it wont just be a disappointment for me. I feel like Ill be letting them down too .

Lydia knew that Trina would understand who she was referring to. Lydia was talking about her aunt and uncle. Aunt Edie and Uncle Edgar had raised Lydia and her brother, Leo, after their parents had died in a car accident when they were children. Lydia always thought that her parents couldnt have picked better guardians to care for them in their stead. Edie and Edgar were compassionate and kind. They were also smart and silly, and Lydia had always felt safe when they were around .

They had raised the children in Ocean Point, which was a charming little beach town on the Jersey Shore. It could get a little crowded during the summer months because the boardwalk enticed tourists to visit, and when snow began to fall on the sand, there were times when it could feel like a ghost town. However, it always truly felt like home to Lydia .

She had gone to a local college so she could stay near the people and shore she loved (and so she wouldnt have to go to a state where shed have to pump her own gas!) as she tried to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. Not finding a proper answer for what her career goals should be, she worked in different candy shops and enjoyed the delicious job perks. Then she had moved to a North Jersey town that felt like a suburb of New York City when she thought she met the one and had gotten an engagement ring from him .

She returned to Ocean Point when Uncle Edgar had gotten sick the previous year. She helped care for him as his illness progressed and kept a worried Aunt Edie company in the family home she had grown up in. Her older brother would also help out, but rising through the ranks of the Ocean Point Police Department took up much of his time as well .

Lydia never regretted coming home once. She treasured the moments spent with her family and the extra time she had with her Uncle Edgar before he passed .

The experience had also shown her that she had been wrong about the one. She found that her fianc was uncooperative when her family was facing tragedy, and she began to realize how selfish he really was. He had been very charming when most of their focus as a couple had been on his career. However, when she needed some support, he was hesitant to give it. He never offered to go with her when she said that she needed to visit her aunt and uncle, and had even tried to convince her to stay with him because he wanted her to create some fancy desserts to impress his colleagues at parties .

He had even said, Why do you even need to go? Its not like theyre your parents .

It can often be hard to pinpoint the exact moment when a relationship dies, but this wasnt the case for Lydia. As soon as he said that, she knew that he wasnt who she thought he was. She packed up her bags and sped down the Garden State Parkway to get home. She hurried to see the man who had been a second father, a mentor, and a friend to her .

Uncle Edgar had also proved to be a guardian angel. She never expected it, but her uncle had made sure that Lydia was left enough money in his will to open up her own taffy shop on the boardwalk. He said that he knew it was her dream and he wanted to make sure that she would be able to achieve it .

Lydia had been sincerely touched by the gesture and that her uncle had been able to understand what her dream job was before she did. She had been running around making preparations to get the shop in order before the summer, but now that everything was almost in place, she was thinking about the implications of success or failure .

Are you crazy? Trina asked. Thats what youre worried about ?

I guess it is .

In the first place, youre not going to fail. People love salt water taffy, especially the people who visit the beach in the summer. And, Ive tasted the taffy you make. Its incredible. Better than the stuff they made here last summer. And you have all these cute little knickknacks that people will buy too. Also, Ill talk this place up at the salon, so you know word will spread. This shop and you are going to be beloved, Trina said. She placed a comforting hand, with long lavender nails, on her friends shoulder. And besides, what did Aunt Edie say ?

Lydia reached into her purse and took out a postcard. The front had a picture of the canals of Venice with a gondola on the water. The back had a message from her Aunt Edie .

Aunt Edie had recently become a world traveler. She had always wanted to explore but had put this desire on hold because she had been so happy with her husband and niece and nephew at home. Before Uncle Edgar had passed, he had told his wife that he thought she should use what she would inherit from his life insurance to begin her travels and see the world. Aunt Edie had taken this suggestion to heart and seemed to be having a wonderful time on her adventure. She sent Lydia a postcard from every place she visited .

Lydia had read the message when it first arrived the day before, but now she began to take the message to heart. She read it aloud to Trina .